Malarone is one of the newest combination malaria medications and contains Atovaquone and Proguanil. The drug was launched in the UK back in 2001 and is manufactured by the drug giant GlaxoSmithKline. It is of course by no means the best or only anti-malaria medicine available.
The most commonly used farmaci anti malaria con ricetta come il Malarone , Lariam and Doxycycline are widely available. Each of these medications follow a specific dosing regime and have varying side effects, but all are effective in protecting against malaria. Another popular over-the-counter combination medicine is the Paludrine/Avloclor pack. This treatment does not require you to obtain a doctor’s before purchase. All of the anti-malaria treatments listed above are available to buy from your local high street pharmacy or an online supplier. Given all anti-malaria treatments are highly effective why a doctor prefer one over another?
Malarone is a highly effective malaria treatment and can drastically reduce the risk of contracting the fatal P.Falciparum strain of the illness. This strain is particularly prevalent in areas of Africa and Asia, where chloroquine resistence also comes into play. Treatments like Paludrine/Avloclor are not suitable for such areas, whereas Malarone (as well as Lariam and Doxycycline) can be safely employed for prophylaxis.
Aside from journeying to chloroquine resistant areas your doctor may choose to prescribe Malarone for a number of different reasons including treatment tolerance, duration of stay and patient history.
In terms of treatment tolerance Malarone has a very good safety record. The majority of treatment complaints or side effects are linked to headaches and stomach problems. Both side effects can be easily remedied with pain relief and by taking the medicine with some food or a milky drink.
Duration of travel is an important consideration due to drug costs and the required dosing regimen of the malaria treatments available. Malarone is the most expensive anti-malaria drug currently on the market with prices ranging from £2.00 to over £4.00 per pill depending on the type of supplier and any extra services which are provided for example the provision of a private prescription. This makes the drug almost prohibitively expensive for those who intend on travelling for periods longer than two to four weeks. In cases where travellers expect to be away for several months or more a cheaper, yet still effective alternative is likely to be offered. Doxycycline costs just several pence per tablet and the Lariam dosing regimen means that only one pill is taken per week. Malaria is best recommended to those with short travel plans, as it is taken for the shortest period of time: starting 1-2 days before entering and risk zone and continuing until 7 days after exiting the area.
With a variety of choices available it is important that travellers choose a treatment tailored to their trip and to their own health profile. Travellers should not worry if their choice of prophylaxis differs to that of other travellers with the same destination and should always correctly complete treatment.